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Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch (Eva Evergreen, Book 1) by Julie Abe (2020)

7/26/2021

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Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe
By Piranha T.

Eva Evergreen might be the daughter of one of the country’s most powerful witches, but she only has a pinch of magic. Even when she can invent a spur-of-the-moment spell, they nearly always go wrong, summoning cabbages instead of flowers and leaving her embarrassed and so exhausted that she dozes off immediately afterwards. Nevertheless, Eva’s never wanted anything more than to become a witch like her mother, and she’s determined to pass her Novice Witch quest, the first step in achieving that dream.

There’s only one problem. If she fails, she’ll lose her magic…forever.

Eva’s quest brings her to the seaside town of Auteri, where she’s instructed to help the inhabitants however possible. But nothing goes quite right. Her ‘semi-magical repair shop’ remains customer-less. The magic she does perform goes horribly awry. And then there’s the looming danger of the mysterious Culling, a disaster which strikes yearly which she must somehow barricade Auteri against.

Still, she’s also beginning to form friendships with some of Auteri’s inhabitants. And when disaster strikes, it’s up to her to protect the town she’s grown to love.

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch is a fun, fresh fantasy novel full of distinct characters and intriguing worldbuilding. Eva is an interesting and motivated protagonist, and Julie Abe uses ideas of witches and spells in a cool way. I particularly liked Auteri itself—this town truly comes alive, with a layered network of characters and plenty of mysteries set up for the sequel. I recommend Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch to readers ages nine and up.

PS: If you like Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, definitely check out the sequel, Eva Evergreen and the Cursed Witch! 

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Moo by Sharon Creech (2016)

7/19/2021

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Picture
By SK

When twelve-year-old Reena's family decides to move from the city to coastal Maine, Reena imagines lupines and lobsters and beautiful rocky coastlines. She is definitely not anticipating her and her younger brother Luke being enlisted by a prickly, reclusive neighbor to help her take care of her animals, particularly an ornery cow named Zora. But like it or not, that's exactly what happens.

Maine is lovely, just like Reena had imagined. But cows? Not so much. Zora is irascible, stinky, and stubborn--not to mention ENORMOUS--and is as, er, uninterested in getting to know Reena as Reena is in taking care of her. But there's more to "that cow" than meets the eye, and with the help of two kids from a local farm, Reena and Luke slowly begin to feel a sense of belonging--with Zora, with Mrs. Falala, and with their new home.

Written in an engaging combination of free verse and prose, Moo is a warm, satisfying story about siblings, friendship, and the magic that can happen when you step out of your comfort zone. The writing is spare, but each character is deftly created and irresistible--including the cows! Like Reena, Creech lives in Maine, a fact that's made clear from her evocative descriptions of Reena's town and local county fairs, and while the basic plot isn't one I've never seen before, her distinctive storytelling makes the story fresh and amusing. Hopeful and heartwarming, I would highly recommend Moo to readers ages eight and up.  

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The Flight of Swans by Sarah McGuire (2018)

7/12/2021

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The Flight of Swans by Sarah McGuire - Rapunzel Reads
By Piranha T.

“The exile of the princes of Lacharra didn’t begin with swords or spells. It began inside the castle kitchen with a quest for cloves.
It began with me.”

                  -from The Flight of Swans by Sarah McGuire

​When the King of Lacharra returns to the castle with a pale-haired woman without a name and eyes full of deception, only twelve-year-old Princess Andaryn doesn’t fall to the enchantments she weaves about the royal family. And when Ryn defies her, hoping in the doing to free her family from the Queen’s devious power, it instead gives her the chance to kill Ryn's six older brothers under false pretenses.

In desperation, Ryn makes the only bargain the Queen is willing to strike. She will be silent for six years—one for each of her brothers—if she allows them to go free.

And the Queen does set them free, but in the form of six black swans. They will regain their human forms only on the night of the full moon, and, after six years, will remain that way forever.

Only Ryn knows what the Queen has done, and she is unable to tell the story to any other. As the years pass and she travels across the land, she is pursued by the Queen’s fearsome Hunters and she herself pursues what she hopes will be a way to save her brothers. But as she learns more about the curse, she begins to wonder: who is the Queen, really?

The Flight of Swans is an effortless, brilliant fantasy novel. Based off the fairy tale Six Swans, this is one of my favorite fairy-tale retellings, adhering to the original story while expanding in unexpected directions. Sarah McGuire crafts a mysterious, multilayered landscape and world, with unusual magic, interesting history, and intriguing creatures. The Queen herself is a mystery who kept me wondering until the end, with her strange history and cunning mind. And Ryn is a courageous, bold protagonist who won’t stop at anything to save her brothers, who reminded me of heroines like Kara Westfall and Ella from Ella Enchanted. This book was engaging and fast-paced, despite taking place over a long period of time, with a twisting plot which kept me guessing. I highly recommend The Flight of Swans to readers ages twelve and up who love awesome main characters, complex worlds, and brilliant retellings of fairy tales! 

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Author Interview: Celine Kiernan

7/5/2021

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Celine Kiernan is the author of numerous award-winning young adult and middle-grade novels. Her most recent books, the middle-grade fantasy Wild Magic Trilogy (Begone the Raggedy Witches, The Little Grey Girl, and The Promise Witch) tell the story of Mup Taylor's discovery of a world of strange and powerful magic--a world her mam is from. We love this series for its whimsical story, realistic characters, and fairy tale atmosphere, so we were thrilled to interview her for this month's feature! 


Rapunzel Reads: What inspired Begone the Raggedy Witches?

Celine Kiernan: The Raggedy Witches books had a few different inspirations. The opening scene, as the witches leap from tree to tree hunting Mup’s family through the moonlit Irish countryside, is actually something that happened to me as a child. I have vivid memories of looking up through the window as my parents drove me home from somewhere, and seeing those very same witches leaping from branch to branch, exactly as I describe it. In the intervening years my grown up brain has concocted all sorts of logical explanations for it (Plastic bags caught in the branches? A particularly vivid waking dream?) Nevertheless, when I close    my    eyes    and    remember   that 
Author Interview: Celine Kiernan - Begone the Raggedy Witches - Rapunzel Reads
Author Interview: Celine Kiernan - The Little Grey Girl - Rapunzel Reads
Author Interview: Celine Kiernan - The Promise Witch - Rapunzel Reads

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    Book Reviews By & For Kids

    Everyone knows that Rapunzel spent her early years locked up in a tower. We’d like to think she read plenty of books to while away the time, and that she’d appreciate our own favorites.

    Founded in 2014, our reviews focus on great books for middle grade (MG) readers. Beginning in 2018, we began adding selected Young Adult (YA) books as well, but only if we really love them and think Rapunzel Reads followers will too. Favorite picture books have their own page.


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    ​Looking for more YA recommendations? Until 2022, we had a separate For Older Readers page, where we highlighted over two dozen awesome YA books. Check it out here! 


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